EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State is now the hunted. How will it respond? It should be interesting. The Spartans have scaled the top of Big Ten mountain, capping a conference championship season with a Rose Bowl triumph en route to going 13-1 last season. The offense is loaded with skill talent but needs three new starters up front. The big holes to fill are on defense, as there will be six new starters. But Mark Dantonio has proven he can evaluate talent, recruit and find guys who fit his system in what is the ultimate blue-collar program. I still

It was an eventful practice at Michigan State Tuesday morning. With the BTN crew in town to watch the Spartans for tonight’s BTN Live (6 ET, BTN/BTN2Go), the team practiced at three different locations. Things started on the practice field, until a gas leak forced the team to move to Munn Field, but not before inclement weather shifted things to the indoor facility. Get our latest football tour coverage: Construction crews broke a pipe so #Spartans are moving practice to band practice field. pic.twitter.com/yJXGVQk5wi — Tom Dienhart (@BTNTomDienhart) August 12, 2014 MSU football practice being moved due to a gas

Michigan State is the reigning Big Ten king. Can the Spartans stay on top? This program is rolling as Mark Dantonio enters his eighth year in East Lansing. The last four years, MSU has gone 42-12 overall and 25-7 in the Big Ten. What’s next? A national title? Maybe. Get our latest football tour coverage: Here are some questions I have prior to attending Michigan State practice on Tuesday. 1. Is the o-line rolling? It’s the biggest question on an otherwise loaded MSU offense. Left tackle Jack Conklin and center Jack Allen are the lone starters back. Others have experience,

Time for me to wade through those cards and letters you are firing off to me. I appreciate your thoughts. Keep reading and emailing, because I’m answering your questions throughout our football tour across the Big Ten. Now, on to your questions. Get Tom Dienhart’s latest Big Ten coverage: What is your five-year prediction for Maryland football in the B1G? – SwaggerTerp I think the program is on solid footing as it embarks on its maiden voyage. This is Year Four of the Randy Edsall era. He has done a good job straightening out the program and building depth. Now

The NCAA’s model for amateurism took another hit with Friday’s ruling that the NCAA violated anti-trust law in the Ed O’Bannon suit. This, ladies and gentlemen, is maybe the most important ruling in the history of the NCAA. But things may not be as bad you think for the NCAA. In essence, this ruling says the NCAA no longer can prevent schools from giving student-athletes money based on their names, images and likenesses (NIL). It also isn’t allowed to impose a salary cap below $5,000. That money can be put in a trust. The NCAA scored a win, however, in

(AP) — A federal judge ruled Friday that the NCAA can’t stop college football and basketball players from selling the rights to their names and likenesses, opening the way to athletes getting payouts once their college careers are over. In a landmark decision, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled in favor of former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon and 19 others in a lawsuit that challenged the NCAA’s regulation of college athletics on antitrust grounds. She issued an injunction prohibiting the NCAA from enforcing its rules on money given to athletes when it comes to their names, images and likenesses.

We saw this coming. It was no shock that the NCAA passed legislation that grants autonomy to the “Power Five” conferences. In fact, it probably had to happen for the current collegiate model not to be comprised. In essence, the richest and most powerful 65 schools from the nation’s top leagues—Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, ACC, Pac-12–now will have power to enact rules that are pertinent to the high level they function at, giving athletic directors and student-athletes a larger role in the legislative process. The new structure likely will go into effect in 2015. [ MORE: NCAA.org: Board adopts

If you take a look up and down the Big Ten, you will find a number of high-profile offensive stars. Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller is a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon and Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah are both preseason All-American candidates at running back, and Iowa offensive tackle Brandon Scherff is being talked about as the top pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. While it is clear the Big Ten is stacked on offense, so, too, are many of its non-conference opponents. Some of college football’s elite playmakers fill the non-conference slate with names

Kickoff is fast approaching. To help count down the days to Aug. 28, the BTN.com team is discussing one topic every day. Think of it as our countdown to kickoff. Today’s topic: East breakout player? See Tom Dienhart, Sean Merriman and Brent Yarina’s picks in this post. See our other 2014 predictions: Tom Dienhart: Darian Hicks, CB, Michigan State. Darqueze Dennard’s departure has created a spot in the Spartans’ stingy and much-talked-about “No Fly Zone” secondary. Hicks is the one tabbed to start alongside Trae Waynes. He’s a perfect fit, too, because he’s a top athlete with the cover skills